Marin Headlands Loop Trail- Coastal Trail, Miwok Trail, Bonita Lighthouse is a 7.8 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Sausalito, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.

DISTANCE

7.8 miles

ELEVATION GAIN

1473 feet

ROUTE TYPE

Loop

dog friendly

kid friendly

birding

hiking

nature trips

paddle sports

road biking

scenic driving

trail running

walking

beach

views

wild flowers

wildlife

Headlands host beauty and history of San Francisco Bay Area
The Marin Headlands are intoxicating and sobering. The hills north of San Francisco are peppered with relics of America's wars, so in the same afternoon you might see wonderful examples of waves crashing amid grim reminders of nations clashing.
The Headlands are a section of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, managed by the U.S. Park Service. Because the San Francisco Bay is essential to West Cost commerce, the narrow entrance to the bay spanned by the Golden Gate bridge has been, historically, armed to the teeth.
Things reached a lethal peak During the Cold War era, when nuclear-tipped Nike anti-aircraft missiles were installed at the Headlands. These and a host of decaying gun emplacements are out of commission, but history buffs can tour them all.
There's far more for nature buffs, though: breakers on the beaches, eye-popping vistas from the cliffs, explosions of wildflowers in spring, seasonal migrations of raptors and other avians, miles of trails for hikers, and twisting, challenging hills for road cyclists.
Finally, it's a shutterbug's delight: jagged coastline and pervasive fog create unforgettable images that practically take themselves -- just about any camera can yield picture-postcard results.
NOTE: no dogs on the Point Bonita Trail

This trail map should not include Point Bonita Trail. There's not a direct way to get from the Wolf Ridge-Lagoon Loop to Point Bonita without walking on the side of the road and through parking lots. Also, while the Miwok/Coastal/Lagoon trails are all dog-friendly, the Lighthouse Trail is definitely not. Just cut off the Lighthouse trail from this map and you've got a perfect day hike loop. A lot of confused people go into the park looking for the "Marin Headlands Loop trail" but won't find that. Just look for the Miwok or Lagoon trails to get started.

Excellent hike with two distinct and very different parts. Park at visitor center per the trail map guidelines, then hike the loop clockwise. First part of the hike is out to Pt. Bonita lighthouse and back and is very scenic. Note that the Pt Bonita lighthouse is only open Sat- Mon starting at 12:30 and only stays open for a few hours. Second part of the hike is moderately steep going up from Rodeo Beach almost to the top of Hill 88, then loops back down the Miwok Trail and back to the trailhead. This second part of the hike is more typical of a Marin Headlands hike. Hiking time: 2.5 hrs.

Gorgeous trail! I'd recommend going around the big hill counter clockwise first, so that you get to see the full ocean view right after climbing uphill -- a beautiful reward after a hot walk. There's basically no shade so be aware of that. Also, there's a portion of paved, sort of king pathway that you can't really walk around because of the dense shrubbery around it, so beware if you are bringing a dog. But I did see a lot of dogs around and they seemed to be doing ok. Just a thought!

Great first 4 miles- beautiful views. Last 3 mile leg of this route is a little ridiculous. There really isn't a trail all the way through and you will be walking through a lot of parking lots. At one point you are walking through the YMCA property grounds and playgrounds just to stay on track- really bizarre ending to the hike.